I was wandering around my home when I came across a scent. It was so intriguing! I just kept following it and then I realized, “Oh no! I don’t know where I am!”
Luckily, a nice person stopped and picked me up. I was really nervous, especially when we pulled up to a building with all this barking. There were other dogs around me and I knew they were scared; I could feel it. They were shaking…none of us knew what was happening.
I was put into an area where other dogs were next to me. They seemed to be barking all the time.
I really needed to go out and do my business, but I waited. My owner taught me to sit, be patient and wait to go outside. People walked by me and spoke nicely to me; they brought me a blanket and a toy, and even brought me a big bowl of food.
When was my owner coming to get me? I didn’t mean to wander off.
I went into a room with people that looked at me, poked me and waved something over my back that went “beep.” They said I was really lucky because I had a microchip with my owner’s information, and they could call him. They also learned my name, Zeus. Everyone was petting me and smiling. What a relief!
But after two weeks, my owner never showed up. It was a really long two weeks. Everyone was nice but the noise really bothered me. I learned from the other dogs there that my good behavior didn’t really work to get me attention. When I sat quietly and patiently, people didn’t notice me. I learned that if I bark and jump, I get more attention.
They moved me to another part of the shelter with other dogs that were even more frustrated than me. We just want to be home. What did we do wrong?
Now I jump and bark and people just walk by me. I don’t know what to do next to get someone to adopt me. I want them to look in my eyes and see what a good boy I am.
The meaning of Zeus
Zeus is just one of the many wonderful dogs at the shelter who was found wandering our community. These dogs need to be spayed/neutered or their noses will lead them off their property in search of a mate.
Please help us. Besides the dogs and cats that become lost and separated from their owners, we are seeing an uptick in pet surrenders. This is an incredibly stressful time, and owners are leaving their pets with us every day with explanations like, “I just don’t have time for him” or “We are going out of state and can’t take her with us” or “I don’t have time to train him.” It’s so disheartening.
Because of the crushing influx of homeless pets at the shelter, we need adopters, fosters and volunteers. Like Zeus, the majority of the pets at the shelter are house trained, loving and smart. They did nothing wrong; they just ended up homeless. Now, they need a second chance to have a wonderful life.
Their lives are in our hands.
By Kathy Cagle
FOTAS Programs Coordinator
